Apparatus for forming and thereafter releasing tortilla



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ARMANDO JP Y ATTORNEY Sept." 11-, 1928.

A. J. PEREYRA APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND THEREAFTER RELEASING TORTILLAFiled July 5, 1925 Sept. 11,1928.

A. J. PEREYRA APPARATUS FOR FORMING AND THEREAFTER RELEASING' ABORTILLAEWY & w

ENTOR PEREYRA 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV A'RMANDO 0'.

Filed July 3, 1925 w endless conveyer -belta the andstheposition ofthestamp-ilng-member. and

Patented Sept. 11, 1928.

UNITED: sir-ATE meme. TEREYRA, or SAN Fra cisco;-mmamwm" Arruwws'Emmi-Ne AND r'rrrnneerrnn ant -erasure roRTILLA.

Application filed m =s,--1925: sen-arm; 41,4173- The present inventionrelates to apparatus for forming: -fla'tcakes through :pressure, asopposed to rollin-g kandmeans-for t-heir=dee-= tachmentfafter beihgthusformed-from the i conveyer "upon :Which their formation whas takenpliace andwhas inview y-IHOIG vparticularlyquantity production of'ithetortilla; an unle'avened fiat cake :made a of: icoarsemeal,

of maize,--or Indian corn baked-on hotmetal 'surfaces or stones, andused universally throughout MBXlQOflS a substitute for thread.

Owing to the charecterofthis meal and its l lack for cohesiveness whenmixed, the practice isito subject it to alimetreatment, Which both ibleflche'sit and gives it theinecessary stickiness toi @insure properadhesion of particles when :1

resultant gradually performed stripping ac-i v the; dough is manipulatedi This treatment not infrequently results in an undue stickiness of thedough: renderirrg'handling and-baking *diflieul-t and requiring that.for the prevention' ofttickingto hands or hot plategihor the plate, orboth, be dredged-'with-lime powders Aprime object ofimy' invention: isthe provisionof a mechanicalemeans for the produc-i tion; cheaply andhygienically, of the'tortilla inmquantity, wherein: the operation is apositive andcontinuousione and the-removal of the finished product fromthe conveyer-ls automatical-ly accomplished. r

N In theeccompenying drawingsgformingla part of this specification; andiniwhiehsimilar refer to like/partsw characters of reference throughoutfi- Figural is a SldE elevationiillustrativez of lamachinefembodying' the principles ,of my the main 1 conveyen-belt,gear-train for its actuation stamping-meme her for stampingi thetoutilla upon thereon veyer-belt; and the means for. actuating: the-- mstam 'ilngemember, the dot-and-dash position. indicating thepositionassumed bythestampg 3 invention, showing ing member-avhen atithe limitof its: downs ward stroke; w Figure 2 1s a schematic J73'6W,-Sl10WH1gthe its sleek stamping-belt of Woven endless-belt character ,and twowvaymovement; with :re spect to the endless conveyer. and subsequent to theforming operationdof theforminge member t Figure 3 is a sectional detailof thereon-. veyer-table and conveyer-belt, showingtthe'stamping-member;etvthie limiter its down amstmltezunde tqrtilla prhaedto Rh-ape between tensioning; rolls,

= of the: pressed tortilla rwith the conveyer-belt P free tor forwardmovement to'convey them- 1 newlv formed tortilla: beyond the stamping?member Figure?) is'a view; analogous to' Figures 3 3 l and 4,lillfustrative of the: continued upward movement of the stamping-memberandnbeltn'.

and: the oontinued forward: movementcf cons vever-belt s and the pressed:tortilllw with the tion separatin g: the stamping-b1t i from the\stamped tortilla throughvthe :forwar'ididrwg exerted by the conveyemblt'uponothe' -sla'ck E 17 r with the conveyerebelt movement ifoii'theisepiamtion from: 2 said :beltzcf the tortilla, ltlIlS n elementbeing:adjustablw'rsecured at the dis? charge end of the device and"providedxwith a means over which thelconveyerebeltzpasseswaten'angleibestadaptedto;insurerthe'positive separation of the tortillafrom' lthel belt,-x as? shown inFigure 7, thezview being taken therew in1on-line 6-6;;and' 1 V i l I Figure 7' is, a fragmented 1amview.-ofithedischarge end of-thei conrveyeii; 7 showing glihel \vedtrershaped 5releasing elernentiand :mean's' i190 for its adjustmentlongitudinellysfon tighten-z ingznthc conveycr-belt Referring to the"drawings! in: detail, thQH' embodiment fShOWIL comprises'a suita b-lesup porting frame 1 consisting of111priglrts t-2,fl cross-braces fa, 45and 5,t and c'onveyer tabl'e 6: an endless conveyerebeltfl, preferablyofrub l her sheetingg: =held taut by means: oil-a guideroller .8 andspring-pressedlidler -9 3 at lOHttGIld 4 of the apparatusiand atithe'other -by: ahead-r F1003 justa'bleWedge shapd:tortillaireleasingfele ment 10 mounted between the ibi furcat'ed ends 1- Ofllih braces 4,intermediate sectioni llr of I said belt :heing adaapted to lieflatrupon the '1 upper surface of the conveyer tableltl tend-L b:105'

drawn thereaeross: at .ipredetenminedintervals; :as hereinafterdescribed idleh roller 9 'mounted in vertically movable bear-in" 1158?:supported by? guides 13 ada ted wtorz gurclihandwarpingthemensiuh-rofit.ieeonvegetsbelt; llil? the tension beingadjustable by means of the set-screw and spring 14:; a forming-member15, comprised of any suitable material, adapted for vertical movementbetween the braces 5 and eonveyer-table 6 and held in position by meansof a' plurality of guide-rods 16 and 17, the said member being providedwith a centrally arranged cross-rod 18 mounted in bearings 19 andconnected by means of connecting-rods 20 to a drivinggear 21 at one sideof the device and to a crank 22 at the opposite side, the said member 15being adapted for vertical movement upon its guide-rods 16 and 17, fromthe limit of its upstroke, Figure 1. to a position slightly above theconveyer-belt 6, as shown in dot-and-dash lines; means forintermittently moving the conveyer-belt 7, comprising a gear adapted formovement at predetermined intervals and consisting of sprocketgears 23and 24 mounted, respectively, upon the roller-shaft 25 and a shaft 26,the said gears 23 and 24 being connected by a sprocket-chain 27; apinion 28 mounted upon the shaft 26 adjacent the sprocket 2 1 andadaptedto mesh with the mutilated driving-gear 21, whose teeth coversubstantially one-half its circumference, mounted upon a shaft a meansfor driving the gear 21continuously in the direction indicated by arrowsin Figure 1, comprising a shaft 29 mounted in bearingsSO and 31 andcarrying a bevel-pinion 32 and worm-gear 33, the said pinion 32 meshingwith a bevel-gear 34: mounted upon the shaft 35 and the wormgear 33meshing with a worm-pinion 36 mounted upon the shaft 37 driven from anysource of power by the pulley 38 and the belt 39, the conveyer-belt 7being drawn over the comparatively sharp edge 40 and inclined surface ofthe wedge-shaped releasing element 10, there being considerable tensionexerted upon said belt by means of the adj usting bolts-4:1v and {2tapped into the brackets 43 and 44 and bearing against the inneredgesnear the extremities45 and 46 of said element 10; and an endless belt 47mounted upon the stamping member 15 and extending over the cross-rod 18and comprised of a piece of rubber sheeting similar to that of theconveyer-belt and of a like width and adapted to hang loosely from thesaid rod 18 and stamping-member 15, when said member is at the top ofits stroke, as shown in Figural,

and adapted to hebrought down and pressed tightly against any article 48that may be carried into position between said belts 7 and 47to form itinto a thincake, when at the lowest limit of its downward stroke, asshown in Figures 1 and 3.

The operation of the device. is as follows:

The shaft 35 and gear 21 are continuously driven through the geantrain,29, shaft 37 and pulley 38,'and thestamping-member, consequently,continually v actuated through the rods 20 and gear 21, the stroke beingfrom that shown in free lines to the dot-and-dash position directlyabove the conveyor-belt, as indicated in Figure 1.

The number of teeth carried by the mutilated gear 21 determine themovement of the conveyer-belt and the engagement of said gear withthe-pinion 28 is timed in such manner as'to move the conveyor-belt apredetermined distance to move a selected portion of dough placedthereon, Figure 1, into position directly under the stamping-member 15and stopping at this point until said stamping-member has reached thelimit of its downward stroke and pressed the dough to shape between thestamping-member belt and the convcyer-belt and, simultaneously,

starting it on its delivery movement upon its release by the returnstroke of the stampingmember.

It will be noted, with reference to Figure 3,

that the stamping-member has completed the pressing, or stamping, of thedough and is ready for its return stroke, and, in Figure 4, the returnstroke of thestampingmember is underway, with the conveyor-belt 7started thcthree forming virtually a unit, at this stage. As indicatedin Figure 5, the conveyer and stamping-member acting in unison aregradually peeling the belt 47 away from the tortilla, as indicated atthe point 49, the belt being drawn taut against the oppo- Hil siteedgeof the stamping-member and, due

to the upward movement of said stampingmember and outward pull of theconveyerbelt, is virtually moving in the direction of the arrows, astherein indicated, until the sectionv adhering to the tortilla has beenentirely peeled off and raised to the full line position, as shown inFigure 1. When the pressed and formed tortilla has been released fromthe stamping-member belt, it still tightly adheres to the eonveyer-belt,from which it is released by the action of the conveyer passing over theedge 40 of the element 10, the peeling of the one from the other beingin manner substantially as previously described.

The force of the thrustof the stamping member may be adjusted to varythe thickness of the tortilla 48 by means of the threaded upper ends ofthe rods 20 and jam-nuts 50.

The wedge-shaped element 10 may be of any material, though preferably ofwood, althougha taut wire or rod properly placed may be made tosubstantially serve the same purpose."

I claim: y i

1. A machine for forming tortilla from a prepared dough, having anintermittently ured portion of dough as carried by the conveyor-belt,means for exerting pressure upon said delivered dough while in aposition of rest through the action of said stamping member to cause tobe formed between the said belts the tortilla, and means whereby theparting movements of said belts cause the doughcontacting side of saidstripping-belt,

through the reverse action of its upper side relative to that of itsunder side and the direction of movement of the conveyor-belt, togradually peel the entire doughcontaeting underside of saidstripping-belt from the formed tortilla as it is being carried alongforwardly bythe said conveyorbelt.

2. A machine for forming tortilla from a prepared dough, having anintermittently movable endless conveyor-belt adapted to deliver ameasured portion of prepared dough for the formation of a tortilla to apredetermined position of temporary rest, a reciprocable stamping-membercooperatively as sociated with said conveyor-belt and bearing an endlessstripping-belt of relatively loose character and adapted for two-waymove ment when contacting with said measured portion of dough as carriedby the conveyorbelt, means eoaoting with said stamping member forexerting pressure upon said delivered dough to cause the forming ofatortilla between said belts, and means whereby the parting movements ofsaid belts, caused primarily by the retraction of said stamping member,cause the dough-contacting side of.

said stripping belt, through the reverse movement of its upper siderelative to that of itslower dough-contacting side and the movement ofthe conveyor-belt, to gradually peel the entire douglrcontactingunderside of said stripping-belt from the formed tor-- tilla as it isbeing carried forward by said conveyor-be1t. 1

' Intestimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

' ARMANDO J. PEREYRA.

